This publication presents results on voluntary work from the General Social Survey (GSS) conducted throughout Australia from August to November 2010. Voluntary work data was also collected in the GSS in 2006, and in the Voluntary Work surveys in 2000 and 1995. The major aim of this publication is to present rates of participation in voluntary work, characteristics of people who volunteer, and information on the nature of the voluntary work undertaken (number and types of organisations worked for, frequency of voluntary work, and whether the volunteer was able to be reimbursed for volunteering-related expenses).

CHANGES IN THIS SURVEY

More detail on the nature of voluntary work was collected in the 2006 survey compared with that collected in 2010. For example, in 2006 information was collected on the hours of formal voluntary work and on the activities undertaken by the volunteer.

The method used to collect information on the nature of voluntary work undertaken in the 2010 survey was slightly different to the method used in 2006. In 2010, respondents were asked to provide, in aggregate, information about their voluntary work for all the organisations for which they had volunteered, whereas in the 2006 survey the corresponding information was collected separately for up to three organisations the volunteer had done work for. This difference does not affect volunteering rates and may only affect comparison with 2006 data on the types of organisations volunteered for, and frequency of voluntary work undertaken.

ROUNDING

As estimates have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.